Describes the value of bilingual students' talk, presenting examples from British elementary classrooms. Diverse students' talk about their language and cultural experiences can influence policy by highlighting the centrality of talk in supporting children's thinking and learning, the positive cognitive effects of bilingualism in different…

Analyzed how bilingual elementary students responded to monolingual classrooms which assumed that those who did not fit in were problematic and required learning support. Discusses bilingualism and creative thinking, creative learning, and evidence of bilingual students' creativity. While bilingual students within monolingual environments often…

Discuses the presence of racism in rural areas of Scotland, describing the nature of the problem, outlining key features of the current discourse on rural affairs, and examining some of the limited research that exists on the experiences of rural minority ethnic household/dwellers, presenting an agenda for the future in relation to race in rural…

Presents historical and political contexts for discussing language maintenance and development in Scotland, explaining that research findings rarely have an impact on policy. While good practice exists in the maintenance of Gaelic and British Sign Language, these is a significant lack of support for other languages, and provision for all community…

Describes how bilingual fourth and fifth graders at one London elementary school learned geography by writing poetry. This effort involved: engaging with the topic, consolidating knowledge and understanding, and extending knowledge and understanding. Children were highly motivated to learn. Poetry was the driving force behind their learning as…

Describes the First Steps program for bilingual learners in elementary school. After discussing learning as developmental, examines factors in effective learning (problem solving, embeddedness, working memory, interaction, and time); explains the developmental curriculum of First Steps; discusses First Steps as a resource for teaching; and looks…